... and as far as Donny Hathaway covers all being better than the OGs ...
His version of "He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother" is NO WAY as good as the Hollies.
In fact, I have bought around 10 different versions of this song, always hoping to find a good cover of it, and nothing really touches the Hollies OG. I give David & Jimmy Ruffin credit for trying, on thier slept-on "I Am My Brother's Keeper" LP, but even that one falls short of the Hollies.
I think most Otis Redding covers are better than the original.
I mean, there are good versions of "Respect" (you can give Aretha that one) and "Hard to Handle" out there... a whole lot of mostly lame covers of "Dock of the Bay"... but this statement just doesn't make any sense to me, am I missing something?
Norma Frazier - it was good the first 800 times, I'm not feeling it as much now.
Which reminds me of Jerry Jones who does an amazing cover of Compared To What which I very nearly put on par with the original and Jones' cover of Common People is damn good, too.
Susan Cadogan's Hurts So Good, too (does anyone have the Katie Love they can throw on?)
I think most Otis Redding covers are better than the original.
I mean, there are good versions of "Respect" (you can give Aretha that one) and "Hard to Handle" out there... a whole lot of mostly lame covers of "Dock of the Bay"... but this statement just doesn't make any sense to me, am I missing something?
Johnny Cash, Ring Of Fire.
???
This isn't a cover.
I think he meant covers by Otis of other peoples songs, and the original version of 'Ring of Fire' was recorded by Anita Carter (June Carter's sister)...
I think most Otis Redding covers are better than the original.
I mean, there are good versions of "Respect" (you can give Aretha that one) and "Hard to Handle" out there... a whole lot of mostly lame covers of "Dock of the Bay"... but this statement just doesn't make any sense to me, am I missing something?
Johnny Cash, Ring Of Fire.
???
This isn't a cover.
Yes you are missing something. Or I was unclear. I think most songs that Otis Covered are better than the originals.
Norma Frazier - it was good the first 800 times, I'm not feeling it as much now.
Which reminds me of Jerry Jones who does an amazing cover of Compared To What which I very nearly put on par with the original and Jones' cover of Common People is damn good, too.
Susan Cadogan's Hurts So Good, too (does anyone have the Katie Love they can throw on?)
What is the original version of Compared To What?
I like Roberta Flack and Swiss Movement versions. Sweetwater is the only other version I can think of off the top of my head.
Norma Frazier - it was good the first 800 times, I'm not feeling it as much now.
Which reminds me of Jerry Jones who does an amazing cover of Compared To What which I very nearly put on par with the original and Jones' cover of Common People is damn good, too.
Susan Cadogan's Hurts So Good, too (does anyone have the Katie Love they can throw on?)
What is the original version of Compared To What?
I like Roberta Flack and Swiss Movement versions. Sweetwater is the only other version I can think of off the top of my head.
Uh, the topic is cover songs that are better than the original ...
... not just "what are some cover versions of songs"
I point this out, because I'm certain there is no way you are saying that the Gentrys version is better than the Neil Young OG.
Soul On Ice, my brother!!!
I know we've had friendly disagreements on a lot of things, so you're gonna wanna cut me up for this... but I gotta agree with ol' boy - I definitely think that the Gentrys version is better than Neil Young's!!
Not that there's anything wrong with the song itself, mind you, but unlike my peers, I never could get into Neil Young. There's exactly two (count 'em - two) Neil songs that I like, and "Cinnamon Girl" is one of them.
When I found the Gentrys' version, I figured "oh well, I won't be needing Neil." At least I LIKE the Gentrys, in general, as opposed to ol' Two-Song Neil, so they kinda got the ups here.
I'd disagree with that in general (I find Donny awfully overwrought a lot of the time), and with regard to "Song For You" in particular. Willie Nelson's version absolutely kings every other version I've heard. The lyrics are already so stylized and so grandiose, and are already thisclose to being just too much--Donny's vocal rollercoastering (dig deep! soar high!) just kinda capsizes the whole thing. He doesn't seem real sensitive to the lyric or the feel of this one, and his bel canto theatricality gives a sense of "I've put on all of these shows, and now I'm putting on another one--listen to this." Willie's understated, fragile reading seems far more understanding and intimate--"For them, I Sing???, but for you...I'm singing."
I must agree with this.
I know that everytime somebody starts a Donny Hathaway appreciation thread, I am right in there giving him his props...when he was on his game, there was no doubt...but even so, he was at his showboating worst on some of those cover versions, all long and drawn-out and useless - like he's trying to impress us with his conservatory-trained chops. (His takes on "To Be Young, Gifted & Black" and "I Believe To My Soul" come to mind.)
Can we agree that Donny's take on "Jealous Guy" > Lennon's OG?
Now that I've heard it I can say that not only is the PP Arnold version of "God Only Knows" far inferior to the original, it's just straight up irritating (and I was kind of looking forward to hearing a different take on it too).
Cosign.
The Beach Boys' original is un-sonnable. That's like saying someone did "What's Going On" better. Even if it were true, it couldn't possibly be true.
Comments
His version of "He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother" is NO WAY as good as the Hollies.
In fact, I have bought around 10 different versions of this song, always hoping
to find a good cover of it, and nothing really touches the Hollies OG. I give
David & Jimmy Ruffin credit for trying, on thier slept-on "I Am My Brother's
Keeper" LP, but even that one falls short of the Hollies.
Okay okay, I submit.
Maybe I am just tired of the original version?
Likewise, Aretha versions tend to be better than the originals.
Almost any cover of a Dylan song is going to be better than the original. Hendrix, Nina Simone, Byrds.
Johnny Cash, Ring Of Fire.
What is hard (especially for my generation) is to find a Beatles cover that is better than the original.
Bobby Gentry's version of Eleanor Rigby is great.
Sergio Mendes Fool On The Hill
Maybe not better, but good versions.
My #1 pick is Aretha Say A Little Prayer.
I mean, there are good versions of "Respect" (you can give Aretha that one) and "Hard to Handle" out there... a whole lot of mostly lame covers of "Dock of the Bay"... but this statement just doesn't make any sense to me, am I missing something?
???
This isn't a cover.
I would make one only exception to this: 'Knockin on Heaven's Door'
Which reminds me of Jerry Jones who does an amazing cover of Compared To What which I very nearly put on par with the original and Jones' cover of Common People is damn good, too.
Susan Cadogan's Hurts So Good, too (does anyone have the Katie Love they can throw on?)
I think he meant covers by Otis of other peoples songs, and the original version of 'Ring of Fire' was recorded by Anita Carter (June Carter's sister)...
Yes you are missing something. Or I was unclear.
I think most songs that Otis Covered are better than the originals.
Johnny Cash covered Ring Of Fire.
There are literally thousands of Dylan covers out there, if not tens of thousands.
I would argue that only a fraction of these surpass the OG.
What is the original version of Compared To What?
I like Roberta Flack and Swiss Movement versions.
Sweetwater is the only other version I can think of off the top of my head.
I want to hear Jerry Jones.
I'll give you Knocking On Heavens Door.
Name two cover versions that are not better than Dylan's.
The OG 'Compared To What' was on Les McCann's 1966 LP 'Les McCann Plays the Hits' (at least it's the earliest version I've ever found). You can get it here (scroll down to Funky16Corners Radio v.37)
conveniently available on an Avco 45
Soul On Ice, my brother!!!
I know we've had friendly disagreements on a lot of things, so you're gonna wanna cut me up for this... but I gotta agree with ol' boy - I definitely think that the Gentrys version is better than Neil Young's!!
Not that there's anything wrong with the song itself, mind you, but unlike my peers, I never could get into Neil Young. There's exactly two (count 'em - two) Neil songs that I like, and "Cinnamon Girl" is one of them.
When I found the Gentrys' version, I figured "oh well, I won't be needing Neil." At least I LIKE the Gentrys, in general, as opposed to ol' Two-Song Neil, so they kinda got the ups here.
Ken Boothe > Syl Johnson
I am one of Boothe's biggest fans, but....hmmmmm.....
Well hell, let's put up "Spinning Wheel" for that discussion then.
Can we agree that Donny's take on "Jealous Guy" > Lennon's OG?
Cosign.
The Beach Boys' original is un-sonnable. That's like saying someone did "What's Going On" better. Even if it were true, it couldn't possibly be true.
I Dont Know Why I Love You